Locally, there was one brief test last weekend of Obama’s “bigger fish” statement. More than 150 supporters gathered on Independence Mall near the Liberty Bell on December 15 for a demonstration called “Smoke Down Prohibition.” Activists, including a registered nurse, a cancer patient and myself addressed the crowd. At 4:20 p.m., most of those in attendance lit up marijuana joints.

National Park Service police and a contingent of Philadelphia City Police watched from across the street. The event took place on federal property in an area preserved for 1st Amendment protests. There were no arrests or citations.

Why demonstrate? Well, as Thomas Jefferson said “If a law is unjust, a man is not only right to disobey it; he is obligated to do so.”

OK -- but whatever happened to the big banks and the 1 Percent? Sigh. Meanwhile, there's an article speculating on the prospects for medical marijuana or any other type of pot legalization in Pennylvania. Basically, the commonwealth is engaged in a race to the bottom to see what will cross the finish line last -- medical marijuana or gay rights. I don't expect to live long enough to find out, as evidenced by this circa-1967 spokesman for Gov. Corbett:

"He believes that smoking marijuana is a crime, should remain a crime and that marijuana is a gateway drug," Harley said.